


Zuko's Dragon

by Onmyliteraturebullshitagain



Series: And They Were Neighbors (oh my god they were neighbors) [7]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bi Disasters just Trying Their Best, Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Bisexual Zuko (Avatar), Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Midwest Bi Disaster Zukka, Sokka (Avatar) Has ADHD, Sokka trying to be a good boyfriend, Zukka in their mid twenties, Zuko's cat, relationship drama, with varying degrees of success
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:28:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27745264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onmyliteraturebullshitagain/pseuds/Onmyliteraturebullshitagain
Summary: Sokka messed up. He didn't mean to but he did, and now he wants to fix it. Trying to take care of his boyfriend's cat is the way to do that, right?Midwest Bi Disaster Zukka - again can probably read as a stand alone as long as you know they're dating :)
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: And They Were Neighbors (oh my god they were neighbors) [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1968508
Comments: 230
Kudos: 510





	1. Chapter 1

They were fighting, and it was Sokka's fault. Really, it was his needy client's fault, and his undiagnosed ADHD's fault, and maybe a little bit Zuko's insane schedule's fault. But Sokka had been the one to accidentally stand Zuko up at a restaurant twice in a week and a half, so it did all fall back to him. His most recent project had just become all-consuming, and the client was so nitpicking in his requests, and Sokka got so engrossed in tweaking and formatting and correcting that he forgot to sleep and eat enough, let alone remember what day and time it was. 

The first time it happened, he finally noticed when Zuko actually called him after having already texted twice with no response. Sokka had checked the clock, realized he was almost an hour late, and called back immediately. 

He threw on clean pants with his phone balanced between his shoulder and ear and waited for Zuko to pick up.

"I'm on the way!" he said as soon as Zuko answered. "I'm so sorry! I'll be there in twenty minutes--you can even eat all the bread and I won't be mad!"

And thankfully, Zuko had laughed a little bit and just said, "It's a Mexican place, remember? But yeah, the free chips and salsa’s already gone and I'm not getting you more."

"Totally fair," Sokka had agreed while shoving his feet into whatever shoes were closest, "and I swear, this won't happen again!"

And he'd meant it, he really, really had meant it, because he knew Zuko didn't get a ton of normal time off and worked and slept crazy hours. He knew actual, formal date nights were rare and important (as opposed to 'take-out on the couch at 10pm' date nights, which were nice too but not quite the same) so he'd scheduled another one. Specifically one at the Indian place he knew Zuko liked because they made it as spicy as he wanted, and he'd even gotten those truffle things Zuko occasionally splurged on from the weird downtown chocolate shop as an added dessert for after. He'd set two different alarms in his phone and put three different colored post-its up in places he'd see them: 'Date with Zuko 7pm 11/2' on the fridge, 'Date Night! 7pm 11/2' on the top of his laptop, and 'Don't piss off your hot boyfriend again you piece of shit - 7pm 11/2' on the front door. He'd set out clothes on the bed like a kid on picture day and programmed the address into the map app on his phone ahead of time. 

Then at 5pm, Mr. Randolph had called to argue with him about the placement of the logo and the slight shade differences in color and tried to explain to Sokka why he should really use this other (much stupider) program instead of the one that Sokka had  _ specifically  _ helped design and create, and by the time he got off the phone, it was almost 6pm. And he hadn't even thought about it when he'd plugged in his phone in the bedroom and went back to his desk to swear and stab at the project and rework the same damn details he'd been working for a week. He didn't hear his phone alarms go off from the other room over the music from his computer. He didn't think to look at the yellow post-it that had been there for four days so it had simply become part of his environment. He didn't think about how dark it was getting outside until Boomerang came over and whined at him and shoved his nose against his knee. Then it was kind of like he was waking up from a very long nap he hadn't realized he'd been taking and actually looked around. He slapped a hand against his empty pocket, felt his stomach turn to lead, and looked at the clock on the bottom of his monitor. 

9:47pm. 

Almost three hours late. 

He went for his phone immediately after and felt his heart drop: four texts, two missed calls, and one voicemail, spread out over an hour and a half. He didn't even bother listening to the one voicemail before he called Zuko's number. It rang a few times and went to voicemail, Zuko's grumpy sounding name interspersed with the robotic recording. 

"Shit," Sokka hissed to himself as he hung up. "Fucking shit. Fuck me."

He checked the texts, which started with "Just got here. Where are you?" and ended with "Are you still coming?" The voicemail said, almost coldly, that Zuko had waited around but was heading home now and they could talk later. No sign off, no greeting. Just a few terse, polite sentences and then the click. 

Sokka didn't even bother putting on shoes before he headed downstairs, quietly mocked by the door post-it rightly calling him a piece of shit.

He knocked on Zuko's door and waited, wondering what there was to say to make up for sucking so bad. He knocked again after a few seconds without a response, shifting his weight and worrying at his bottom lip. Damn, and he hadn't even brought the truffles, which were still in his fridge. Also, he probably looked like shit from glaring at a computer screen for hours and not shaving or changing his clothes.

The door finally opened. Too late to worry now.

Zuko frowned at him, back in a cut off and basketball shorts again, his expression rigid.

"What?" he said, and it came out as a surly sort of grunt. "I've gotta work at 5am, so make it quick."

Sokka swallowed, twisting his hands nervously in front of him.

"I'm so sorry, Zuko," he said. "I'm so, so sorry. I totally fucked up, and it was stupid, and I tried so hard to set alarms and make reminders and not miss it, and I still did, but I really didn't…"

Zuko was just watching him as he rambled, the door still only barely open, and so Sokka broke off.

"I'm sorry," he said again. "Can I--are you--what can I do?"

"No idea," Zuko said, just sounding tired, "but I'm going to bed."

"No wait!" Sokka said, putting a hand on the door to stop him from closing it. Zuko let him but kept frowning, so Sokka hurried on. "It was stupid, and it's just this stupid job right now, but I swear, I'm not like this and I  _ do _ care about spending time with you!"

"Well then let's talk again when the stupid job's done," Zuko said flatly, "because for now, I have an early shift so I'm going to bed and you're staying out there."

And he pulled the door again, and Sokka moved his hand and let it shut. 

So… that was where they were the next day now. Fighting. Or at least Sokka assumed they were fighting still since he hadn't heard from Zuko at all, not that he necessarily always contacted him when he was at work. Regardless, Sokka still felt like an asshole (because he  _ had  _ been an asshole, intentions or not) and wanted to fix it. It was just that he wasn't sure  _ how _ to fix it, considering the thing he'd fucked up had been meant to fix the  _ other  _ thing he'd fucked up. So now it was just a spiral, and he was up at 8am feeling stupid and shitty and trying to think through some sort of apology that might actually begin to make up for it.

At least he could take Boomerang on a long walk and mull it over until he came up with something that showed Zuko he was just a dumbass and not  _ actually  _ someone who didn't care about him or his time. 

Boomerang was eager to be out, all wagging tail and bouncing ears and pulling at the end of his leash to sniff at clumps of grass and the bases of trees and the sides of fire hydrants. And Sokka, dumb and guilty and a little sleep-deprived, was trying to thing of what Katara would do. She was better at this mushy relationship stuff than he was and used phrases like 'open communication' and 'love languages' and 'healthy personal boundaries' in normal conversation. Sokka, on the other hand, tended more toward the 'if i can't talk or flirt my way out of it, I'm lost,' and Zuko didn't seem to want to do any talking  _ or  _ flirting at the moment. 

So… what? Flowers? Poetry? Serenading with a boombox raised over his head? All that seemed pretty floofy and stereotypically feminine for Zuko, and anything more neutral--getting tickets to a show or a movie or something, maybe taking him out for an evening downtown--all operated on the assumption that Zuko would even give him a  _ third _ chance to go somewhere together. But when he tried to think of more masculine-specific apology gifts, all his brain said was 'blowjob' which seemed unhelpful. If nothing else, that wasn’t step  _ one _ .

Oh my god, why had anyone ever dated him? But no, that wasn't a helpful thread to pull on at the moment, so instead, he swallowed his pride and texted Katara for advice.

Sokka:  _ so i messed up with Zuko how do i make it better?? _

Sokka:  _ you can ask Aang too i'm taking all suggestions _

There wasn't a response for quite a while, which was valid considering the time of day, and Boomerang needed a long, brisk walk anyway, so Sokka didn't worry about it until they were finally on the way back home again after wandering the sidewalks for over a mile. He checked his phone at the front door.

Katara:  _ What did you do? _

Sokka sighed and let Boomerang into the apartment as he typed out a semi-abridged but honest version of the last two missed dates and where everything was at now.  It took a little while for Katara to reply.

Katara:  _ Will you please make an appointment with a psychologist? I know you’re used to the way your brain works but if it’s negatively impacting your life you need to see a professional about this. _

Sokka:  _ yes dr katara i get it but that doesn’t help me right now with Zuko does it?  _ 🙄

He sprawled back on the couch as he waited for a response, listening to Boomerang eagerly lap up water and go hunting for one of Sokka’s dirty socks to carry around.

Katara:  _ He’s in the medical field too, dummy. You showing that you’re actually trying to find ways to work with your issues and improve them could be a nice gesture _

Sokka sighed down at his phone, because damn it, that made sense. Stupid Katara being all smart and rational about everything.

Sokka:  _ fine I’ll make an appointment. But i don’t think just showing him a doctor’s note is gonna get me back in his pants _

Katara:  _ SOKKA _

Katara:  _ You can’t say stuff like that to me!  _ 🤮  _ Please for once in your life think before you speak _

Sokka:  _ ok fine get me back into his heart? his apartment? his life? All those places i’d like to be if possible so what do i do? _

Katara:  _ You know him a lot better than I do. What does he really love and care about? _

Good question. Sokka dropped his head back against the armrest and swung one leg up along the back of the couch and considered. Zuko loved his uncle, who Sokka had never met, and he loved caffeine and older movies with more theater-style set designs. He loved a diverse array of music and classic video games and spicy food and being right. He loved (if that was the right word) dealing with high-intensity situations and understanding how the human body worked and then crashing out and not having to try to impress anyone. He loved that thing Sokka did with his hands and making out in slightly bizarre locations and cuddling while acting like he didn't want to. He loved comfy clothes and hot days and certain early mornings and his sometimes obnoxious cat.

Unsure how exactly to convey this to Katara, Sokka simply replied:

Sokka: 👴👨⚕️👺👐🌶☕🐈🎵🎬☀️🤯

Katara:  _ Ok did you just have a stroke or is this you responding? _

Sokka:  _ responding _

Sokka:  _ maybe both i'm such an idiot and I don’t wanna mess this up _

Katara:  _ Wow so this is like REALLY a relationship, huh? _

Sokka snorted, unsure what exactly she meant by that. Luckily, she immediately clarified like the little mind-reader she was.

Katara:  _ I can’t remember the last time you were in an ACTUAL relationship and cared this much. Typically if something like this happened with a person you were dating you’d just move on and find someone else. No offense  _ 😊

Sokka:  _ if you’re calling me a ho this is a weird kick me while i'm down kind of time to do it _

Katara:  _ Why are you like this? I’m just saying it seems like you’re finally growing up  _ 🤗  _ Proud of you! _

Katara:  _ Oh and Aang says he proud of you too, and that you and Zuko seem like a great couple  _ 🙂

Sokka:  _ i knew i shouldn’t have talked to you. you and your stupid happy relationship you’ve been in since you were fourteen. what’d you know about the struggles of a ho like me? _

Sokka chuckled to himself at that and looked over his shoulder at where Boomerang had just moved to whine out the window.

Katara:  _ Ha ha Sokka’s so funny. _

Sokka:  _ obviously _

Katara:  _ Aang and I agree. Just show the guy you’re sorry and that you care about him and the things that matter to him. Don’t overthink it. _

Sokka was about to reply that her advice was terrible and worthless and he should have just asked the internet, but before he could, he noticed Boomerang’s increase in crying and pawing at the window. He finally heaved himself off the couch to go and investigate.

Dragon was outside again, and further from the balcony than he usually got, and this was, apparently, causing Boomerang considerable distress. But it did set off a lightbulb in Sokka’s brain.

Dragon!  _ That  _ was something Zuko loved that Sokka could take care of, especially because he’d apparently found a way out while Zuko wasn’t even home, which meant he could get hurt, maybe get trapped outside, or something else horrible. So Sokka could take care of  _ Dragon _ and by association, show that he wanted to take care of Zuko. That made logical sense, right?

He didn’t stop to rethink it (“Don’t overthink it” said Katara) and headed outside to retrieve his boyfriend’s cat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! You all are the best :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cat plan develops and Sokka hopes for the best

Dragon seemed irritated to be chased around and "pspspsps"-ed and "here kitty kitty'-ed, but Sokka eventually managed to corner him next to the trunk of a tree and scoop him up. Dragon made some of his annoyed meowing-squawking sounds, but Sokka figured he was doing the right thing when he felt how cold the cat’s ears and paw pads were.

“Did you sneak out when he left this morning? God damn, buddy, it’s too cold for those kinds of shenanigans,” Sokka said, trying to keep a hold of the annoyed ginger creature trying to climb his chest as he walked back inside. 

Dragon didn't respond except to dig his claws even harder into Sokka's neck, just missing the collars of his jacket.

“Ah, stop with the claws!" he snapped, trying to balance the cat and tracking down his keys. "That’s my skin! I need that!”

Still, he managed to get him inside, even if Dragon ended up on his shoulders like some bizarre parrot, and even if he did that weird low cat yowl sound at Boomerang when he got in sight of the dog.

“Oh come on,” Sokka said, “you know Boomerang. Stop being dramatic.”

The cat yowled again, directly in his ear, and Sokka tried to pet him in a way that he hoped was soothing. The cat just continued to yowl, although he did lean into the rubs on his neck.

“Wow, you’re in a mood,” Sokka muttered to him, leaving his jacket on since the cat had apparently rooted himself into it with all twenty claws (sixteen claws? Sokka really wasn’t sure). “Did Zuko tell you what I did and now you’re mad at me too?” He wandered toward the kitchen to start some coffee, cat still on his shoulder and making annoyed, grumbling sounds. “I guess that’s fair, but you should know, you beast, that I’m  _ trying _ , ok? Tell Zuko  _ that  _ when you get back home.”

The cat, thankfully, finally quieted and settled down a little more on his shoulder, and Sokka was able to actually start coffee in the old pot on his counter. Of course, he had to try to do this while balancing Dragon, who was still fluffed up and flicking his tail into Sokka's face, and working not to trip over Boomerang, who was very excited his sometimes unwitting cat friend was here. 

Sokka leaned back against the counter as he waited for the coffee and snapped a quick selfie of himself with Dragon still up on his shoulders, one eyebrow raised and a cheeky grin on his face and a thrown up peace sign with his free hand. He sent it to Katara and pet the cat, who'd now calmed down and was laying on his shoulders. His phone buzzed after a moment.

Katara:  _ Did you steal the guy's cat??? _

Sokka:  _ i RESCUED his cat from outside! see? showing i care about the stuff he cares about  _ 😻

Katara:  _ Please tell me you’ve thought this through… _

Sokka:  _ you told me not to overthink it!?!?! _

Katara:  _ That doesn’t mean don’t think at all!! What are you gonna do with a cat?? _

Sokka ignored that text, and Katara’s general negativity, and focused instead on hunting down creamer for his coffee. It was only once he was actually pouring it into a mug and placidly rubbing Dragon between the shoulder blades with his other hand that he actually began to think the logistics of this through a little bit more. Zuko wouldn't be off work until at least 1pm, which meant Sokka had to keep Dragon in his house for the next four-ish hours, and Sokka was pretty sure cats needed specific things that Sokka definitely didn't have. Like a litter box. Or cat food. Or scratching toys. 

"Well, shit…" Sokka muttered, continued to pet the now contented Dragon, who was making biscuits into the furry collar of his jacket. He glanced aside at the cat and his very yellow eyes. "Can I just take you out to pee like I do Boomerang? But then you'd probably need, like, a leash and a collar--why  _ doesn't  _ Zuko have a collar for you? What if I hadn't grabbed you and you  _ actually _ got lost? Then what, Dragon, hmm?"

The cat, of course, just continued to watch him and do his odd kneading with his front paws into Sokka's coat, and Sokka sighed and let him.

When his phone rang and it was Mr. Randolph again, he genuinely thought about not answering. He was drinking his coffee, after all, and mulling over this cat issue and still feeling bad about Zuko, so the last thing he wanted to do was argue with an entitled boomer about font sizes. He picked his phone up anyway.

"Mr. Randolph," Sokka said before the other man could even speak, "if you're still that unhappy with my work, then you can feel free to pay me for my  _ considerable _ time and go start over with someone else, because I'm not making any more changes to my design unless we expand the contract and up my rates. Is that understood?"

Mr. Randolph actually sputtered a little over the phone, and Sokka smiled.

"So what will it be?" he asked. "Because you are not my only client and I have business that needs to get done today."

Nevermind that his 'business' was primarily taking care of an irritated cat and charming back his boyfriend, and he wasn't about to tell him that. 

At least Mr. Randolph simply grumbled about a few minor details and accepted Sokka's terms without further argument and Sokka could hang up, feeling surprisingly vindicated. While on a roll and with the coffee starting to get into his system, he also looked up psychologists and called the first one that came up on Google. 

When the receptionist answered, Sokka blurted, "I'm pretty sure I have ADHD and my sister says I need help," startling the poor woman into a stammer and then a quick back pedal to ask if he was currently a patient and if he had insurance. Right, acting like a normal human being. Sokka answered her questions, dug out his insurance card, and got an appointment set up in two weeks. All through the call, Dragon had been wandering over Sokka's shoulders to finally climb down his back onto the kitchen island. Sokka watched him and shooed the cat away from his coffee and then shooed the dog away from the cat, all while also trying to explain his recent symptoms without dumping his relationship problems on a random stranger. That done, he slapped his phone down on the island and drained his coffee.

"We're doing it, boys!" he announced to the pets, and then grabbed a post-it to make a clearer plan:

  * Rescue Zuko's cat. Check.
  * Get Randolph to chill. Check.
  * Make a psych appointment. Check.



But now what else? Sokka tapped his pen against his mouth, considering. The major issue was probably still how to care for Dragon for hours without any cat supplies, with a secondary issue being the best way to present the rescued cat to Zuko and properly convey that Sokka was truly sorry for being a distracted asshole. He added to the list:

  * Go to pet store
  * Get cat stuff
  * Get Dragon a collar so he can get back home if he does get lost again
  * Make things ok with Zuko again - don't suck and don't lose him you fuck-up!!!



Sokka stared at the post-it and then at the cat, who was batting at the corner of the note and meowing. It was something like a plan, and before he lost his nerve, he texted Zuko:

Sokka:  _ are you off at 1 today? can i come over when you get home? i really want to make it up to you  _

There was a brief pause while he stared awkwardly at his phone and pet the cat with his other hand.

Zuko:  _ Sure _ .  _ You can come by around 1 30 and I should be free _

Sokka:  _ awesome you won't regret it!!!!!  _ 🤩

Zuko:  _ Ok now Im nervous. Please don't be weird _

Sokka:  _ me weird? never _

Just that, joking and having a conversation like they'd normally have, made him feel better and more confident about his post-it plan.

"Alright, you," Sokka said, scooping Dragon up in his arms again, "pet store it is. We're doing this."

Apparently cats did not like riding in cars and  _ really _ didn't ride like dogs do. Dragon spent the entire time screeching and meowing and climbing the seats and trying to mash himself between the door and the seat or under Sokka's legs and very close to the pedals or clambering in panic back up Sokka's chest and arms to wack his massively fluffed out tail right into Sokka's line of sight. Sokka was pretty sure he narrowly dodged about five different car accidents, which forced him to consider the relationship-saving success rate of getting in an accident and having Zuko show up as the EMT. He then deliberated heavily if it was worth it to try to swaddle the cat completely in his jacket and just drive the rest of the way with his knees. Thank god Brock's Pet Supplies and Seascapes wasn't  _ that _ far away, and neither cat or very flustered man actually died on the way there. But Sokka was about ready to throw in the towel by the time he wrangled Dragon back into his arms, kicked his car door shut, and headed toward the front of the store.

Just inside the automatic front doors, there was a middle-aged worker with short blonde hair who was dressed in a green dress shirt with a white name tag that said "I'm Becky and I'm here to help!" She gave him a look of surprise as he stepped inside, fluffed up cat still under one arm like a football and his expression probably harried and exacerbated by the loosened strands of hair sticking to his face.

"Welcome to Brock's," the worker--Becky--said, recovering. "You actually… brought your cat with you."

"He's definitely not mine," Sokka grunted, and the woman's eyebrows rose. "No, no, I didn't steal him or something," he said quickly, but the woman still did not seem reassured, so he added, "He's my boyfriend's cat, actually."

"Oh," Becky said, looking only marginally less uncomfortable about that answer.

Sokka immediately recognized the tell-tale signs of the Midwest Polite homophobe: eyes immediately dodging away from him, shifting her weight, giving that very small sort of smile while also keeping her face closed off. Sokka shot her a larger smile just to make up for it, fully prepared to be annoying about this.

"Well, that's…" the woman said and pasted on a more aggressively nice customer service smile, "Brock's Pet Supplies and Seascapes respects all lifestyles and doesn't discriminate."

"Well I'd hope not," Sokka said with a snort as he hefted Dragon in his arms. "I mean, it's not like the cat's gay--well," he looked back down at Dragon briefly, who glared owlishly up at him, "I actually can't say that for sure." He looked back up at Becky, who was looking flustered again. "Can cats be gay?"

"I… I really couldn't say," Becky said, looking like she sort of wished Sokka was a serial killer rather than someone talking to her about cat sexualities, and that did give Sokka just a bit of satisfaction.

"What, um, what can I help you with today?" she asked finally, pushing through.

"Oh right," Sokka said, smiling. "So I'm babysitting this cat for my boyfriend," that little twitch from Becky again and Sokka just smiled, "sort of accidentally, so I need whatever basic supplies cats need. And a collar!" he added, sort of wishing he'd done some research and made a list so he didn't have to rely entirely on Obviously Uncomfortable Becky. 

But Becky nodded. "Sure, I can help you with that," she said, motioning him to follow. "So your boy--your, um… the cat's actual owner," she finally settled on, glancing once over her shoulder, "does he have things like a litter box, dishes for food and water, all of that already?"

"Yeah, so these would just be basic extras for my place in case the cat stays over like he is today," Sokka explained, following her down the aisles and shifting Dragon as he meowed in protest, "but maybe I should also get some toys or treats or something too. I'm sort of in the doghouse--ha, that's pretty funny. The irony." 

Becky glanced at him and Sokka shook his head.

"Right, anyway. I'm in the doghouse with my boyfriend so I'm trying to get back on his good side." He smiled a little at Becky's discomfort and couldn't resist adding, "I'm sure you know how it is. Romantic relationships, am I right?"

Becky shot him a tense smile, which Sokka returned broadly. He knew he was sort of being an ass, but it was definitely making him feel a little better.

"Of… of course," she said, and then paused in an aisle off to the right-hand side of the store, "so here are a lot of your basic cat necessities."

Sokka nodded and looked around at the options for litter boxes and kennels and beds and dishes, more excited than he should be to have an excuse to go shopping. So he chatted with Becky about options while Dragon got increasingly annoyed with being held and unable to explore, which led to both people trying to catch him as he attempted an escape over Sokka's shoulder and down his back. Sokka managed to control the cat, and it fell to Uncomfortable Becky to gather and carry the things he was buying. Dragon did become less of a trial when faced with the toys and treats, specifically things with feathers and catnip, so Sokka got some of those too. And while Becky brought his stuff up to the register, Sokka ducked off to grab a few things for Boomerang, who was a good boy and deserved it. Balancing a new antler chew and a bag of dental treats with an intermittently squalling armload of cat wasn't exactly easy, but Sokka made it to the register and dumped the cat on the counter right along with the products.

"Um," the young woman with a nose ring and purple hair at the till said, "did you find everything ok?"

"I think so," Sokka said, "oh but crap a collar! I need to--oh no, you!" He grabbed the scruff of Dragon's neck as he tried to sneak off the counter. "Ok, I'll get this stuff now and come back for the collar."

The woman--"Talia" and also "here to help!" apparently--seemed to be suppressing her laughter. “Not much of a cat person?”

“Not really. I understand dogs, but cats?” Sokka admitted as she rang up his stuff and he tried to contain Dragon. “Probably shouldn’t have brought a cat into a store, huh?”

Talia shot him a smile and then looked up as Becky approached again.

"Oh, you got this one now?" Uncomfortable Becky asked, sounding relieved, and Talia waved her off and continued bagging Sokka's goods.

"This cat does look like a handful," Talia noted, grinning, and Sokka grunted and kept a tighter hold on the cat.

"Yep, just like his human," he agreed, "although Zuko does a lot less trying to squirm away and more annoyed glaring, so he's easier to deal with..."

Then the woman did give a small laugh and scanned the things for Boomerang too. She gave him the total and then actually helped me keep a hold on Dragon while Sokka pulled out his wallet.

"So this Zuko must be pretty important to get an obvious dog person like you to take care of his cat," Talia said, eyebrow raised, and Sokka chuckled and passed his card over.

"Well, he’s my boyfriend, so you could say that, and I… messed up," he supplied, assuming based on the nose ring and being, you know, under forty, that she'd be less weird about it, “so here’s me, trying to make it right. Bribing the pet's the right way to win over my boyfriend, right?"

Talia smiled. "The way to a man's heart is through his cat?" she offered, and Sokka laughed.

"Think it'll work?" he asked. 

"Better than some plans I've seen," she replied, and Sokka accepted his receipt with a smile. Talia took that moment to rub Dragon under the chin. “Isn’t that right, pretty kitty?”

So she was a cat person? Thank god.

"Ok, so can I ask you for a weird favor?" he said, and Talia's eyes narrowed as she looked back up. "Just hold him for a sec while I run these out to my car and come back? I swear I'm not dumping a random cat on you."

Talia scooped Dragon up immediately. "Not a problem," she said, smiling, and then stroked the cat and added in a more cooing voice, "Is it, big sweetie? You wanna hang out with me for a bit?"

Dragon made a grumbling sort of meow, which Sokka took as acquiescence. 

"Thank you," Sokka said and gathered up all the plastic bags of stuff and hurried out to his car and back as quickly as he could.

When he got back, Talia had been joined by another worker, a younger woman with thick glasses and glossy lipstick, who was also petting and cooing at Dragon, and they both smiled as he approached. 

"So he needs a collar?" Talia said, still cuddling Dragon, who seemed marginally happy with the whole arrangement. "What kind are you looking for?"

Sokka scratched the back of his head, pleased to have his hands free and no claws near his skin for a little while. "Honestly? No idea. Something with his name on it? Something…" he thought about Zuko and his comfy clothes and utilitarian functionality, "basic and straightforward? Nothing glittery or bright colored or whatever."

"Boyfriend's pretty butch?" Talia asked as the other worker nodded and headed off in search of a collar, and Sokka just had to laugh.

"Do those terms still apply when both people are bi?" he asked.

The girl shrugged, looking like she was trying not to laugh again, and Sokka was glad to have upgraded from Uncomfortable Becky to Laughing With Me Talia.

"But I guess yes?" Sokka finally answered. "He basically lives in basketball shorts and drinks more coffee than any human should be able to survive without having a heart attack. Is that butch?”

Talia laughed, lifting Dragon a little more in her arms.

“I’m the wrong person to ask,” she admitted, scratching Dragon’s chin again, “but I’m sure Steph’ll find some good options.”

As if on cue, the second worker appeared with a handful of collars. 

"How about one of these?” she said, laying them out on the counter.

There were two nylon collars, one red and one grey, a plain black leather collar, and one that was white with paw prints patterned over it. 

“Actually,” Sokka said, picking up the leather collar and holding it up to Dragon. “This seems right. And if he hates it, he can return it, right?”

Talia nodded as Steph dipped in her pocket, looking sheepish.

“Ok, and I know you said nothing fancy or whatever,” she said, “but if I overheard right and you’re trying to get back on your boyfriend’s good side, who could possibly resist a cat in a bow tie?”

She held up a little blue bowtie that could be slipped onto the collar as well, and Sokka was pretty sure he’d never loved two random customer service workers more than he loved Steph and Talia right now.

“That is stupidly perfect,” Sokka replied, taking it from her. “You all got any more relationship advice? Wanna solve my job issues? Maybe write me up a five year plan?”

Both girls laughed and helped make sure the collar fit and then showed him how to use the in-house laser engraver to make a tag as well. He paid for all of it, used the machine to engrave "Dragon" on one side of the tag and Zuko's number on the other, and then put collar, bowtie, and tag all onto Dragon’s neck. The cat squirmed away as he did so, but once everything was in place, he seemed oddly fine with the whole arrangement. 

“Well?” Sokka offered, holding up the cat under both armpits to present him to the two workers. “Charming enough?”

Both girls immediately started cooing again and fawning over the cat, who made a noise like the angry little gremlin he was in protest of being held like a rag doll. Still, Sokka figured the whole thing was a success based on the girl’s faces and his own feeling of rising hope. Nevermind that Dragon immediately started yowling and climbing the walls once they were back in the car, and that Sokka was pretty sure he ran a stop sign at one point because the cat was directly in his face, and that he still had a few more hours to figure out what else he needed to do to make this right again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, two chapters at once! I continue to have no chill, although I did want to poke at chapter 3 just a little more before posting. Regardless, thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always make my day, and you all are awesome :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cat plan comes to its final conclusion.

Sokka plopped Dragon down on the kitchen island once he got home and immediately pulled out one of the feather toys to keep his attention. It wasn’t perfect, but it was enough to get a quick Snapchat to send to Katara: the cat perched on the counter and looking up past the camera, his new collar and bow tie on display, with Sokka’s caption  _ he’s a dapper gentleman _ underneath. He sent it off and finally let the cat get down and do what he wanted while he set up a makeshift cat station in the corner over by the balcony door (assisted, of course, by an incredibly interested Boomerang). Sokka’s phone buzzed a little after he’d finished, and he dropped down on the couch again to check it. Katara had apparently decided to reply over text instead of through Snapchat.

Katara:  _ Ok that’s too adorable but also, should I be prepared to hear about a proposal? Planning a wedding for next summer? Keeping an eye out for nice mid level houses for sale?  _ ❤❤❤

Sokka:  _ it’s a cat katara. you need to cool it _

Katara: _Not a chance_ _! This is next level for you!  _

Sokka:  _ again it’s a cat in a bow tie, not i love you in sky writing or something _

Katara:  _ OH MY GOD  _

Katara:  _ YOU LOVE HIM _

Katara:  _ YOU’RE ACTUALLY IN LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!! _

Sokka snorted at the string of all-caps texts and the insane amount of exclamation points. Trust Katara to make everything as dramatic and romance novel as possible, but this wasn't  _ The Notebook _ . Did Sokka enjoy spending time with Zuko? Of course. Did he care about him? Obviously. But was he in  _ love  _ with him? God no! He wasn’t about to go throwing around crazy declarations like that while they were just having a good time together and still figuring their shit out and seeing if this was gonna work.

Sokka:  _ once again you need to cool it _

Sokka:  _ do i need to text Aang to get you a paper bag so you’ll stop hyperventilating? _

Sokka:  _ because this is SO all in your head. no one is in love. no one is proposing. nothing crazy is happening right now except a cute cat and trying to bang my boyfriend again _

Sokka stared at the texts a moment, vaguely annoyed. “Love” was  _ way  _ too serious to be considering right now, and certainly not a thing Sokka felt for people he'd only dated for a few months. Sokka’s feelings of “love” were reserved for his family, his dog, and certain really good meals. "Love" was big and weird and meant things like ‘commitment’ and ‘not being able to live without them' and ‘willing to catch a grenade for someone’ if Bruno Mars was to be believed, or ‘committing suicide together’ if he went more cults/Shakespeare. In whatever version, too much and not Sokka as a person and  _ definitely _ not where he was at with Zuko right now.

Katara:  _ You are such a total liar!! Either that or you’re even more of an oblivious idiot than I thought you were _

Sokka:  _ I officially resent all of that. I’d like that noted on the record _

Katara:  _ God you’re a dork. And a big old lovesick moron. Just admit it! You LOVE him _

Sokka:  _ i do not! I LIKE him and he’s hot and he’s fun to have around but you’re way off! stop projecting _

Dragon took that moment to climb up onto Sokka’s stomach and step directly onto his bladder. Sokka shot the cat a glare and turned the phone to face him.

“This is all your fault,” he said, pointing at the string of texts.

Dragon responded by grumble-'mrowing' at him and lashing his tail back and forth while he glared, unblinking, at Sokka's face.

Katara:  _ Such a liar! You’re totally doodling your first name with his last name in hearts in your notebooks and daydreaming about what your future kids will look like _

Sokka:  _ you do remember that i’m an adult man who is dating another ADULT MAN right? _

Katara:  _ The point still stands  _ 😍

Sokka:  _ it absolute does not and i’m putting you in Sokka’s relationship time out until you can calm down _

Katara:  _ You texted ME remember? _

Sokka:  _ that was before you proved that you couldn’t be trusted! I now regret everything  _

Unwilling to hear anymore of Katara’s newly-married, ‘the whole world is gumdrops and rainbows’ brain, Sokka tossed his phone onto the cushion beside him and slumped down, staring Dragon in the eyes. The cat watched him and then clawed a few times into his shirt.

“Ridiculous sister,” Sokka offered to the cat’s almost unblinking gaze.

He scratched the cat’s ears and was actually rewarded with a low purr. 

“Hey, did you get over your bad mood with me?” Sokka asked with a smile. “I’m gonna take that as a good sign. I won  _ you _ over. How much harder could it be to win Zuko over?”

Sokka spent the next few hours work on a few others projects (not stupid Randolph’s, which Sokka was staunchly ignoring for the time being) and wandering around the house getting random things done that wouldn't consume his attention. Thankfully, Dragon figured out the new cat station and didn’t seem terribly distressed by Boomerang following him around and wagging, although the cat's tail hadn't fully unfluffed since they'd gotten back from the pet store. It all felt almost normal, him and Boomerang and Dragon, even if the cat did climb the back of Sokka's desk chair a few times and clawed at his couch once and knocked an empty cup off the kitchen island onto the floor. Sokka mostly ignored him and kept an eye on the clock.

At exactly 1:30pm, he grabbed the post-it from off the counter and Dragon from off the floor, shooed Boomerang away from the door, and headed downstairs. He realized as he was walking that he’d once again forgotten the truffles that were still in his fridge, and that also his plan had definitely stopped at ‘be nice to the cat’ and hadn’t moved beyond that. Too late now. It would have to be enough, accented by Sokka’s trademark winning charm. He shifted Dragon into just his right arm, straightened his shirt a little, and knocked on Zuko’s door.

Zuko opened it a moment later, although once again only enough to look out and not enough to let Sokka into the apartment itself.

That was fine. Sokka could work with it.

“You’re on time,” Zuko offered by way of greeting, expression less irritated that last night and maybe a bit warmer again, so Sokka smiled.

“Yes, I am,” he replied, “and guess who I have?” He shifted to present the armload of ginger cat, collar and tag and bowtie and all, just waiting for Zuko’s realization, for his smile, for… something that apparently wasn’t coming?

Zuko stared at the cat and then back at Sokka. 

“Um, and who is that?” he asked, openly confused.

“Are you kidding?” Sokka asked, because if this was acting or some sort of joke, Zuko had really improved in his presentation. “It’s your cat!”

“Uh… no,” Zuko said, pushing the door open the rest of the way with his foot, “ _ this  _ is my cat.”

And there perched in the curve of Zuko’s arm was Dragon--another Dragon. 

Same larger ginger body and round eyes, although that Dragon's eyes were more greenish than full yellow and he had just a bit of white on one of his front feet that the Dragon Sokka was holding didn't. The cat watched Sokka placidly from the comfortable crook of his human’s arm, long tail dangling.

Sokka stared at the cat Zuko was holding, and then at the cat he was holding, the one he’d spent all day with and wrangled into a pet store. He finally looked back up at Zuko.

“I stole someone’s cat, didn’t I?” he asked.

Zuko let out a bark of laughter. “Yeah. It looks that way.”

“I kidnapped some  _ random person’s cat _ ,” Sokka articulated, glaring down at the not-Dragon in his arms, who glared right back, unrepentant like the imposter he was, “and spent all day caring for it and getting it set up in my apartment and buying it a nice collar.”

Zuko was laughing more, and even if it was at Sokka’s expense, it was a reassuring sort of noise.

“You did all that for Dragon--well, a cat that looks like Dragon?” he asked, smiling now.

“Well…” Sokka said, embarrassed as he hefted the not-Dragon faker cat in his arms, “really I did it all for  _ you _ because I wanted to show you that I  _ do  _ care, that I’m not some neglectful asshole who takes you for granted."

Zuko shifted his weight, watching him, so Sokka went on. 

"Because I  _ am _ really sorry, and I wanted to make it up to you, and somehow… I thought taking care of the cat after he got outside was the way to do that?” he finished, suddenly wondering how exactly he’d thought this plan made so much sense when he’d been doing it.

“That’s…” Zuko said, smiling wider, “pretty thoughtful in a  _ very _ bizarre, very Sokka-specific way. And this guy,” he reached out to rub not-Dragon’s neck, which the fraud cat seemed to like, “does look a lot like Dragon. I’ll give you that.”

“Yeah but…” Sokka adjusted the cat so he could grab the collar and unclip it from the other cat’s neck, “this was definitely meant for your  _ actual  _ cat, not some random cat I accidentally kidnapped.”

Zuko accepted the offered collar, turning it over in his hand.

“You even put my number on it,” he said, sounding genuinely touched, and that made up for some of the bone-deep embarrassment Sokka was feeling at the moment.

“Yeah, well, Dragon gets out and I didn’t want him to actually get lost--you know, like  _ this guy  _ actually got lost,” Sokka said, glaring down at the cat in his arms. 

Zuko got the collar onto the correct cat, smiling down at the correct Dragon with his little bowtie and name tag, looking just as much a dapper gentleman as the con-cat still pulled against Sokka’s side.

Zuko grinned at Dragon and then at Sokka. “You’re sweet, Sokka, really, and thank you. I was just pissed off and tired yesterday, but I do know you didn’t mean to stand me up.”

“Yeah, but I still did it!” Sokka said, and then adjusted the cat again to grab the post-it with the list and pass that over too. “But, I’m gonna try to be better. I swear.”

Zuko accepted the post-it, looking vaguely confused, and then scanned the list.

“So you may need to un-check ‘Rescue Zuko’s cat’,” he offered with an amused grunt, “and I don’t know who ‘Randolph’ is, but what’s the psych appointment for?” He smirked. “Do I drive you  _ that _ insane? Or do you think  _ I  _ need psychiatric help?"

Sokka rolled his eyes. “No, it’s for the ADHD,” he admitted, and Zuko’s expression changed. “I’m actually gonna go in and deal with it so I don’t miss stuff like this again.”

Zuko’s face had gone much warmer, tinged over with surprise. “Really?”

“Well, yeah,” Sokka said, trying for a sort of shrug, which jostled the not-Dragon cat into a yowl of annoyance, and Zuko shot Sokka a fond smile. "I… wanna be better. I guess. Or something."

Zuko chuckled at that again and looked down at the note once more.

“And you got other cat stuff?” he continued, skimming over the list again.

“Oh yeah! Basic stuff just in case but also some toys and treats,” Sokka said and then added as he realized, “I also... left it all upstairs, because I obviously suck at this.”

“Not sure I agree,” Zuko replied, holding up the post-it, “because I think I can say, pretty confidently, that you can check off the last one.” He turned to point it toward Sokka again.

  * Make things ok with Zuko again - don't suck and don't lose him you fuck-up!!!



“So that’d be three different check marks, I think, if we’re being thorough,” Zuko said, counting off with his free hand, the post-it stuck to one finger. “One check for ‘make things ok with Zuko,’ because you’re doing that now."

"Yeah?" Sokka askes, grinning, and Zuko just nodded.

"One for ‘don’t suck’," he continued, "because you’ve done that--”

“Debatable,” Sokka grunted, still feeling new levels of stupid, but Zuko just chuckled.

“And a last check,” he said, “for ‘not losing him, you fuck up’,” he quoted with a laugh, and then he reached out and caught Sokka’s cheek with the post-it stuck hand, pulled him closer, and kissed him.

"I'm not losing you?" Sokka asked.

"Nah. Not this time," Zuko said, giving him a gentle sort of smile. “I  _ guess  _ I still want you around, stupid shit and all. So you and your new cat wanna come in now?”

“Obviously,” Sokka said, “but also, yeah, what the hell do I do with this cat now? Because apparently, again, I  _ stole someone else’s cat _ .”

“He could just be a stray," Zuko replied. "I'm actually pretty sure I've seen an orange tom sneaking around outside the last couple weeks, so you may not have  _ actually  _ stolen a random cat."

“Yeah, let’s hope it’s that option,” Sokka said, looking down at the cat now acting almost content in his arms, “and if he is, you want another cat?" He shot Zuko a smile. "I’ve got the stuff for him already, and you could just have a matched set of cats, so the apartments would never know."

Zuko chuckled at that and reached out to pet the imposter-Dragon along the head, and the cat gave a pleased, slow eye blink at him.

“I mean, maybe…” Zuko said with a careful smile, “but we can figure that out in a little bit. Let’s make sure first of all that you’re not actually a cat-napper.”

“Oh my god, is that an actual crime?” Sokka asked, and Zuko gave him another amused smile.

“No idea,” he said, “I just work with cops sometimes, but I’m definitely not one.” He pushed the door open a little more. “But we’ve got time to figure it out.” He rubbed the cat behind the ears again. “For now, looks like we’ve got two Dragons for the price of one.”

Sokka laughed and hefted the cat again, which made him make that ridiculous yowling sound, which set off the real Dragon to meow at him in irritation from Zuko’s arms.

“Ok, but you’re gonna have to give this one a name too, because I can’t keep mentally calling him ‘Not-Dragon’,” Sokka said, stepping inside and managing to shove the door shut behind him with a foot. "Any ideas?"

“Sokka's Mistake?" Zuko suggested with that smug, teasing look of his.

" _ Ha ha _ ," Sokka replied, "try again."

"Oh, so you want me to pick a more traditional cat name like Tiger or Garfield or something?" Zuko said with a low laugh as he reached out to scratch the fake Dragon behind the ears. "Because we're  _ such _ traditional pet namers, you and me."

Sokka couldn't disagree with that. "So what's the middle of the road between 'boring' and 'openly insulting your boyfriend'?"

Zuko seemed to consider a moment, still petting the other cat.

“How about Lucky?” he suggested with a cheeky sort of grin.

Sokka laughed. “Because he’s lucky to have been kidnapped by me today, or because I’m lucky to have you again, or because I’m gonna  _ get  _ lucky sometime soon?”

Zuko laughed too. “How ‘bout all of the above?” he said, and pulled Sokka in again, which of course set the pair of cats off, but neither man seemed to mind.

And Sokka, as he kissed Zuko again and angled a meowing Lucky away from a grumbling Dragon, definitely wasn’t thinking  _ at all  _ about the swelling feeling in his chest that he wasn’t going to name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue:  
> Lucky did end up being a stray, and yes, Zuko did decide to just keep him right along with Dragon. He couldn't really just leave Sokka's accidental gift cat at a shelter now could he?  
> Also, props to all of you who guessed that Sokka had "rescued" the wrong cat :)
> 
> Series Update:  
> So I'll start posting the next story in a couple days, and it will be longer and deal with more serious relationship issues and heavier topics, so be aware of that. If you're just in this series for fluff, it will get there by the end again, but I can also note when it starts if people want to just hop in for the cute relationship stuff again :)  
> Anyway, thanks again to all of you who've chatted with me and subscribed and kudos-ed and everything else. I love talking with all of you and hearing your opinions and interpretations and reactions. It seriously makes my day! You're really providing some needed serotonin in the midst of this pandemic.


End file.
